Riley And Ray
by Marymel
Summary: Ray Langston and Riley Adams meet up again and talk about how far the lab's come since their departures.


**Jackson and Greta are my original characters, but I don't own CSI.**

 **And please read and review my previous story, Dinner With The Girls!**

 **This idea popped into my head after watching reruns of the season nine episode No Way Out and the season 11 finale In A Dark, Dark House. I liked Riley, and I would've liked to have gotten to know her before she was sent off in season 10. So I wondered...what would happen if she and Ray met up again? So here's what I came up with. Hope you enjoy...and please review!**

It was a beautiful spring day, and Dr. Ray Langston decided to get flowers for his wife Gloria. He shook his head as he remembered it had been six years since an event that nearly killed both of them and ended his career as a CSI with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Sometimes he missed the team in Vegas, and would always be grateful to them for helping save him and Gloria even though he nearly brought the entire lab down going after Nate Haskell.

He walked into his regular grocery store and looked over the various bouquets of flowers. He knew Gloria loved yellow roses and gardenias, so he looked for bouquets with one or both flowers. He'd just found a small bunch of roses when he glanced up and saw a familiar face come in the door.

The woman stopped and hesitantly smiled. "Ray?"

Ray laughed hesitantly when he saw his former colleague Riley Adams, whom he worked with in Vegas for almost a year. "Hi," he said with a soft smile.

"Hi," Riley said. "Good to see you."

"You too. Are you...are you in Baltimore now?"

"No, I'm here for a conference," Riley answered as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear.

"That's good," Ray answered. "You look good."

"Thanks," Riley said. She visibly relaxed and smiled softly. "So...what are you..." she shook her head as she remembered he told the team he was from Baltimore.

Ray smiled reassuringly at his former colleague. "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" He gestured to the small deli in the grocery store.

Riley exhaled and smiled softly. "Sure."

Ray paid for two cups of coffee and they doctored their drinks the way they liked. Riley sat down and chuckled nervously. "I just came in to get some orange juice, maybe some ibuprofen."

"It's okay," Ray said. "I wanted to buy my wife some flowers." He gestured to the nearby bouquets and displays of flowers and plants.

"They're beautiful," Riley complimented.

Ray inhaled his hot coffee and took a sip. "Yeah. Her birthday's coming up. I thought I'd surprise her." He smiled absentmindedly.

Riley nodded. "Greg said you left Vegas after, um..." she looked down nervously.

"Yeah," Ray said with a sigh. "After everything...I know I should have let the team help me, but..." he shuddered softly, remembering everything that led to his enemy's death.

Riley set her cup down and sighed quietly. "Greg said there was no other way, even if...everything happened as a result."

Ray nodded. "I admitted what happened. IA was going to fire me...so I told them I'd leave. It was best."

"I understand," Riley said honestly.

"Anyway," Ray said with a heavy sigh. "I came back to Baltimore with my wife Gloria. After everything that happened...it was best for both of us."

"You two got back together?"

Ray nodded. "After a lot of work and therapy. She went back to performing, I taught briefly at the university here."

The two drank their coffee in somewhat uncomfortable silence. "I'm glad you're both doing well," Riley said.

Ray smiled softly. "Thank you."

More uncomfortable silence followed. "So.." Riley asked with a sigh.

"I still talk to Al Robbins," Ray said.

Riley nodded. "You two always had a good friendship."

Ray nodded. "I know a lot's happened since I left."

"Yeah." Riley took another sip of coffee. "I haven't been back in a while, since..."

Ray sighed softly. "Since...you left..."

Riley looked up, pursed her lips and nodded. "Since I left my son with his father, Greg."

With a nod, Ray said, "What's his name?"

"Jackson," Riley said with a soft sigh.

Ray nodded. "A few years ago, I called Al. He and his wife were taking care of him for the afternoon."

Riley smiled. "Yeah. Greg said he loves all his CSI family."

"Al said Greg is a great dad."

"He is," Riley said. "That's why I knew I had to leave Jackson with him, even..." Riley hesitated, then sighed. "Did you hear about the shooting of an undercover cop in Chicago a few years ago."

Ray nodded. "Al said that's when you brought Jackson to live with Greg."

"Yeah. I was going to before that, but..." Riley took another sip of coffee. "I never really knew how to be a mom, but Greg knew how to be a dad. Even when they first saw each other, they knew they belonged together. And they do."

Ray smiled softly. "Al says they're two peas in a pod. And Jackson loves everyone there."

"Yeah," Riley said. She smiled softly as she thought of her son. "Morgan...she's Greg's wife..."

"Conrad's daughter," Ray said. When Riley looked at him in surprise, he added, "She was a CSI in LA and helped when...when we were lured out there." He exhaled a heavy sigh when he thought of what he and Gloria went through.

Riley nodded. "Anyway," she added. "Morgan and Greg have been together for years. She adopted Jackson when they got married."

"That's...good?"

Riley smiled softly. "Yeah. I love him, but I never really knew how to be a mom. And Jackson...he has a family that he loves and they love him. Did you know Greg and Morgan had a baby a year or so ago?"

"No."

"A baby girl," Riley said. "I don't know her name, but...Greg sent me a DVD of Jackson at his last birthday party. He clearly loves her."

Ray smiled softly. "Jackson sounds like he's doing great."

Riley smiled at her former colleague. "He is. And everyone loves him."

Ray nodded and smiled. Riley sighed quietly and smiled softly. "I know he's okay. That helps whenever I think of how much I miss him."

"I understand," Ray said honestly.

Both shared a more comfortable silence as they sipped their coffee. "So," Riley asked after a few moments. "You talk to anyone else in Vegas?"

Ray set his cup on the table. "Not for a while. Last I heard, Catherine left to work with the FBI after they brought in a new head CSI."

Riley nodded. "D.B. Russell. I met him. He was working with the FBI a few months ago. I asked if he still worked with Catherine, and he said she came back to Vegas. Did you hear about the bombings a couple of years ago?"

"Oh, yes," Ray said with a nod.

Taking a deep breath, Riley said, "I talked to Greg sometime before that. A friend and colleague of his was killed by the...what was it? Gig Harbor Killer?" Ray nodded. "Anyway, he said Jackson loved her." Riley looked away briefly and sighed. "When I talked to Mr. Russell, he said Catherine came back and was now the lab director. Nick was promoted to head of the Grave Shift, and Greg was the assistant supervisor."

Ray smiled thoughtfully. "That's good."

"Yeah," Riley said with a nod. "Grissom...do you remember him?" Ray nodded, and Riley continued. "He and Sara, his wife? They hit a rough patch a while back, but Greg said they're back together." Riley chuckled softly and smiled. "I met Sara when she came to Chicago a few years ago for a conference. She and Jackson adore each other. She told me it's because they both had moms who didn't know how to be moms."

"Sounds like they love each other," Ray said.

Riley nodded. "Jackson...Greg says everyone calls him Grissom Junior, because he loves to study bugs. His favorite is butterflies."

Ray chuckled softly. "Sounds like a great kid."

"He is," Riley said with a warm smile. "I don't talk to Greg much...but he sends pictures and Jackson sends me cards and drawings all the time."

"That's good," Ray said. "It sounds like he's doing great."

"Yeah," Riley said. She hesitated briefly before asking, "Do you miss being a CSI?"

Ray sighed softly. "Honestly...I miss the team more than the work. Last time I saw them was when I left. They understood, but..."

"You brought them into that...thing with Haskell even though there was no other way."

Ray sipped his coffee and nodded. "I guess now everything happened the way it was supposed to."

"Yeah," Riley said with a nod and dreamy look in her eyes. She sighed softly and looked at her former colleague. "Look...I am sorry I just left the way I did. I..."

Ray nodded. "It's okay. If I'd been in your shoes, I would've been angry too. But..."

Riley looked at Ray. "You still think I was hotheaded?"

Sighing and nodding, Ray said, "I told Catherine you were trigger happy."

Riley chuckled sadly. "Some things haven't changed."

"But..." Ray continued. "From what I can tell, you're doing okay."

Riley nodded and sighed. "Yeah. But...I know my son's better off. And so am I."

"That's good," Ray said honestly. "You look really good."

"Thanks. So do you."

Ray smiled softly and nodded. "I guess everything does happen for a reason."

"Yeah." Riley sipped the last of her now lukewarm coffee and glanced at her phone. "Oh, I don't want to keep your wife waiting..."

Ray looked at his watch. "Yeah, it's getting late. She'll be out of class soon."

Riley picked up her cup and stood. She smiled at her former colleague. "I really am glad you're doing well."

"Thank you," Ray said with a soft smile. "I'm glad you are as well."

Riley smiled softly. "I guess everything does happen for a reason, huh?"

Ray smiled thoughtfully and nodded. "Guess it does." He picked up the bouquet of flowers and stood.

"Looks like we're both where we should be," Riley said as Ray stood up.

Nodding, Ray said, "Yes, we are."

"It really was good to see you," Riley said with a soft smile. "And...I'm glad you and your wife are okay."

"Thank you," Ray said appreciatively. "Are you going to be in town much longer?"

"No," Riley said shaking her head. "I head back to Chicago in the morning." She smiled at her former colleague, truly appreciating how far they both had come. "I'm glad I got to see you."

"I'm glad I got to see you," Ray said honestly. "Take care of yourself."

"I always do."

They shook hands and smiled, both truly appreciating how far they'd come in their own ways. As they went their separate ways, both knew they were where they were supposed to be.

 **The End**


End file.
